Method of breaking petroleum emulsions



5m@ 2Q@ w33, w. P. HASEMAN AL. EL M955 METEO@ 0F BREAKING PETRQLEM EUJSIONS Filed. ocra Patented June 20, 1933 UNITED STAT-Es.

PATENT carica g WILLIAM P. rrasMANoF OKLAHOMA orrY,l OKLAHOMA, AND 'JOHN D. HASEMAN, or LINTON, INDIANA; SAIDWILLIAM 1. HASEMAN Assrenoa 'ro JOHN D. HASEMAN METOD or REYAKV'ING PETROLEUM' EMULsIoNs 'Application flied' October 13, 1930. seria1 No. 488,272.

This invention relates to amethod of and apparatus for breaking down `emulsions in general and'collectingthe component parts thereof and has particular V reference to breaking down oil-Water and Water-oil emulsion and collecting. theoil and.Water.

. VEmulsions formed. inthe productionof oil are generally classed intWo groups, v(l) Water in oil emulsions and (2) oil 1n Water ID3 emulsions. Thefformer group is by fai-fthe more common.l It consists of minute globules of Water encased and supported ina massof oil Whilethe latter group consists of minuteglobules of'V oil encased and .supported in a I5? mass of water..1SOm'e emulsions .break down readily Whileothers are very resistant to the usual methodsIA of;l treatment which 'consists of 'heat7 electricallchemical and mechanical,V

, or a combination kof t-hem. n

A method loftreatment may either alter the shape and character ofthe globules, re-

duce the tension-of; the encasingfilms'ofthe globules," alter therrelative specific gravityof the globules andfthe suspendingliquidfV "T and alter the :viscosity of the suspending' liquid.4V If the method' of treatment affects fa-4 vorably any one or'all of thesefactors Vvwhich producethe emulsion it Will a'idto break downand separate the 'component parts of` the Our invention has for` :its primary obj ect the breaking dovvn and removing of thehquid films 'Whichform andhold therglobules4 and the contacting of the globulevvith and T the `removingof it in asimilar and like'liquid .With littlexor noagitation. The films are broken down-byvv contacting them With concrete objects or. granules with surface characteristics Land Vunder proper conditions such '.1462 as will by a single orbyfan integrated action remove the films and permit the. globules to contact and become a part of alike and miscible liquid. A Toeifect the operation of .our

methodthere must be present emulsion glob-V .l u1es,.liquid of like andfmiscible nature tothe sion globules, the liquid and the granules are confined in a container in the proper proportionsand the container is rotated slOWl f l' Laia-665' thereby causing the granules to contact the globules, distort the form of theglobules and l move them with av differential speedon'the surface of the liquid, the emulsion isbroken down and the oil and Wat-er are separated. l 'In the treatment of Oil-Water and Water-oil emulsions-the liquid is preferably Water. The Water maybe either fresh or salt Water and is in considerable eXcess tothe emulsion. The

oil in the emulsion Ycollects and floats von the Y l easily with the liquidandfrom Whose surface oil is easily Washed orremoved by the liquid. Tripoli granules and granules Vof a similar character have been found to give good results. .This method is made continuous in operation by arranging to continuously i'ow the emulsion and liquid in one end ofthe rotating container and out at the'other end.

We have alsodis'covered that When the granules arepacked in a'container to form a Contact bed through'which the emulsion and liquid are iovvedin the proper propor.

tions Without agitation an effective breaking down of the emulsion is consummated. The contact lbed may have either a circular cross section formed by packing the granules in a cylindricaltubef through which and along the aXis of which theemulsion and liquid HOW; a rectangular cross section as a shalloWboX; or a circularfcross section as a shallow tank With the' emulsion and'liquid fiovvingout radially through the contact bed. In these arrangements since the emulsion and the associated oil have a greater viscosity anda smaller specific gravity than the liquid (Water), they are forced by the action of the large eX- cess of the liquid to flow through the upper part ofthe Contact bed, thus forming and maintaining under controlled lovv conditions a definite contact surface between the emulsion and liquid.V The emulsion globules arev forced to contact rather intimately the granules *of the contact bed and the closely associated liquid, distort their form and flow with y maining parts of the contact bed. This thinl layer of emulsion moves very slowly through' I the contactbed, contacting the granules and. liquid, bringing about anV effective breaking a diferential speed to the liquid, thereby breaking down the emulsion. The oil separating therefrom flows out or is carried out of the contact bed on the surface of the liquid while the water from the globules is miscibl'eY in the liquid. The relative amounts of emul.

sion and liquid to be flowed through the `contact bed, the pressure or speeds of the fluids,

f the kind, size andshape of the granules form#V ing the contact bed and the thickness and length of the contact bed are factors among Y others which aect the efficiency of the oper-v ation of the contact` bed and iiow method.k

The method works well with a ratherA wide variationv of thesel factors.v

The quantity of the emulsion should in general be much smaller than the quantity of the'liquid Howedy into and through the contact bed so that the emulsion forms essentially athin lm like layer in the uppermost part of the contact bed and the liquid Viills the redown of the emulsion and the removal and collection of the component parts thereof.

The kind and shape of granules preferred lis tripoliof four to forty mesh, although other sizes andkind of materials may beused. The granular material maybe made more active by chemicals and chemical treatment. "For Y example the porous tripoli or other material 'I may be treated and saturated with phenol or other chemicals which in small quantities are known to aid in breaking down emulsions; It is alsocontemplated incertain casesV to use heat either applied directly to the contact bed orto the emulsion and liquid as an aid to the breaking down of the emulsion.

to six feet in length(l l.

Figures 1 and 2 give a diagrammatic sketch of the preferred form which the apparatus may have. In Figure 1 the numeral 1 represents vthe tube through which the emulsion and liquid enter the contact bed which is rep. resented by numeral 2; numeral 3 represents f" the container for the contact bed andnumeral 4 the. openings in the container through which Y the iiuids flow from the container. The oil and liquid are flowed vfrom .the `container throughthe slot like openings near the top of the container into a suitable collecting' tank where the oil collects and floats on top of the liquid. The oil is removed from the collecting tank. Figure 2 gives the container of the contact bed in perspective and shows the slot'V like openings 4; near the top of the Y duced and withdrawing container through which the liquid and component parts of the emulsion flow from the y container. Numeral l shows the tube through which the liuids enter the contact bed.

The apparatus may be used as the case warrants in the gas-.oil separator tank, in the treating tank, in and to a flow line with special collecting reservoir or to a flow line so that the fluid passes through the Contact bed and is collected from the slots and discharged into the iiow line.

l/,Ve claim: 1.v The method of separating a naturally occurring petroleumemulsion into its constituent parts which' comprises mixing the emulsion with ar large excess of saltwater,

passing the mixture thru a bed of granular material, of such dimensions that the mixture flows thru a constantly Vincreasing crosssection of granular material, whereby the velocity of the liquid flow Iis constantly rethe emulsion.v l I 2. The method of separating naturally occurring petroleum emulsion into its constituent parts which comprises mixing the emulsion with a large excess of salt water, passing the mixturethru a bed of granular tripoli, of such dimensions that the mixtureA flows thru a constantly increasing cross-section of granular tripoli, whereby the velocity of the liquid flow is constantly.reduced, and

vwithdrawing'the constituents'of the emulsion.

'3. The methodA of separating a naturally occurring Vpetroleum emulsion into its constituent Y parts which comprises .mixing the emulsion with a large excess of salt water, passing the. mixture'lthru 'a bed of small pebbles vof substantially uniform diameter, of such dimensions that the` mixture liows thru a constantly increasing cross-section of the bed, whereby the velocity of the liquid flow is constantly reduced, and withdrawing the constituents of the emulsion.

4. The method -ofseparating a naturally occurring petroleumV emulsion intov its constituent parts which comprises mixing the emulsion with a large excess of salt water, passing the mixture thru a' bed of granular material 'treated with phenol, of such dimensions that the mixture f lows thru ka constantly increasing cross-section of granular material, whereby the velocity of the liquid flow is constantly reduced', and withdrawing the constituents of the emulsion.

v5V. The method of separating a naturally occurring petroleum emulsion into its con` stituent parts which comprises mixing the emulsion with a large excess of salt water, passing the mixture thru a bed of granular material of l to 40 mesh, of such dimensions that the mixture flows thru a constantly increasing lcross-section of granular material, whereby the velocity of the liquid iiow is conthe constituents of stantly reduced, and withdrawing the constituents of the emulsion.

6. The method of separating emulsions into their constituent parts which comprises mixing theV emulsions with an excess of the disperse phase, passing the mixture thru a bed of granular material, ofsuch dimensions that the mixture flows thru a constantly increasing cross-section of granular material, whereby the velocity of theI liquid flow is constantly reduced, and wherein the mixture is introduced along the axis of a bed which constitutes a cylinder, and wherein the constituents issue from the periphery of the cylinder, and withdrawing the constituents of the emulsions.

In testimony whereof we affix our signa,-

tures. Y Y

WILLIAM P. HASEMAN. JOHN D. HASEMAN. 

